This invention is directed to a novel car wash boom system associated with so-called self-service car wash bays which utilize coin-operated low pressure washing brushes and high pressure pre-washing, rinsing wands.
A typical car wash boom system utilizes one or more bays, generally open-ended into which an automobile or similar vehicles can be driven. Coins, tokens and/or paper currency are inserted in a coin/token/currency acceptor which is associated with an appropriate selector dial, switch or push-buttons. The selector dial can be utilized to, for example, first select the delivery of high pressure pre-wash or rinse water which is directed by a conventional manually operated wand against the exterior of the vehicle to wet/moisten the same prior to washing. The selector can next be moved to a washing position in which low pressure washing (soapy) water is delivered through a relatively long handled washing brush. The vehicle is washed with the brush and at the completion of the washing operation the brush is put aside and the vehicle is once again rinsed with the high pressure rinsing (no soap) wand.
During the rinsing, washing, waxing, etc. procedure, the person performing the same uses the rinsing wand and the washing brush alternatively and during this procedure generally walks around the vehicle. The washing brush and the rinsing wand are, of course, joined by suitable flexible hoses to appropriate booms which are mounted from above for rotational movement about one or more vertical axes. Unless otherwise provided for, as the person walks around the vehicle during the performance of a particular operation, there is a tendency for the booms and the associated hoses to interfere with each other, and normally the person cannot walk completely around the vehicle (360.degree. ). If, for example, one of the washing brush and rinsing wand is supported by holsters, brackets or holders on one of opposite walls of the vehicle bay as is the normal situation, the person performing either a washing or a rinsing operation cannot walk completely around the vehicle because of interference between the booms and/or hoses, and the user must thereafter retrace his/her path and walk in the opposite direction. This is because the hoses and the associated booms are so mounted that they prevent the washing brush and its associated hose and boom from crossing or by-passing the rinsing wand and its hose and boom and vice versa. Thus, time is wasted during the performance of any particularly pre-rinsing, washing and/or final rinsing operation and most users of such self-service car washes are aware that wasted time is wasted money in the sense that only a predetermined time for washing, rinsing, etc. is purchased for a particular amount of money deposited in the acceptor mechanism. Accordingly, it is highly desirable to allow a person washing the vehicle to walk 360.degree. and beyond around the vehicle in a noninterfering manner irrespective of whether the person is using the washing brush or the rinsing wand and irrespective of the location of the holster or support for either. Such unrestrained and uncumbersome movement allows a vehicle to be pre-rinsed, washed, final rinsed and/or waxed rapidly and efficiently and, of course, at minimal cost.
Needless to say, the frustrations of retracing ones steps and becoming involved with intertwined hoses and booms and the aggravation associated therewith is entirely eliminated.
A rotatable boom system which allows unfettered rotation of washing and rinsing booms through 360.degree. is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,110,049 granted on May 5, 1992 and entitled Rotatable Boom System for Dispensing Fluids in the name of Harris et al. However, in this boom system both the washing brush boom and the rinsing wand boom rotate about a single axis and this is accomplished through the utilization of a relative complex universal connector and intricately mounted booms. This boom system is relatively expensive to manufacture but each boom arm thereof is capable of unlimited angular rotation about a common vertical axis. If a conventional car wash boom system includes two conventional booms mounted for rotation about adjacent vertical axes, the boom system of this invention would require the elimination of both side-by-side boom systems and the substitution thereof by the dual boom arm system of this patent. Obviously, this is a relatively costly approach to the problem of unlimited boom arm rotation because two conventional boom arms are both totally eliminated with the cost attendant thereto coupled with the cost of purchase and installation of the complex single axis boom system of the latter patent.
A single boom arm swivel assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,456,177 granted on Jun. 26, 1984 to Johnson. This patent is unconcerned with both a low pressure washing brush and a high pressure rinsing wand and instead is concerned simply with a single hose boom arm associated with a spray wand and an associated self-return mechanism. The self-return mechanism returns the hose boom arm to a position such that the drooping portion of the hose is held out of the path of a vehicle as it moves into the bay. The latter is achieved through a spring-biased cam and cam follower assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,648,316 granted on Mar. 14, 1972 to G. Habian and entitled Surface-Treating Apparatus discloses a pair of adjacent booms each pivoted for rotation about its associated vertical axis and each provided with boom arms that can telescope. However, no provision is provided to allow either boom arm to pivot through 360.degree. and beyond relative to the other boom arm and thus each possesses the inherent disadvantages in adjacent side-by-side pivoted booms irrespective of the particular utilization thereof.